FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2021

Washington, DC – Today, the Africa Faith and Justice Network along with over twenty-five faith and nongovernmental organizations sent a joint letter to Congressional Leadership in support of the Counter-Kleptocracy Act. If passed, this “Act would help expose and counteract authoritarian and kleptocratic regimes across the globe” addressing “foreign corruption as a U.S. national security interest of the first order” according to the letter. 

Jacques Bahati, Policy Analyst at the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) and who is chair of the Accountability Working Group with the Advocacy Network for Africa made the following remarks:  

  • “As an Africa focused organization, the Africa Faith and Justice Network is happy to be a supporter of this very important piece of legislation.  Kleptocrats plague African nations. By passing this Act, Congress will be sending a clear message to those who day in and day out work to end corruption that they have a tool at their disposal to hold these Kleptocrats accountable.
  • “African nations receive billions of dollars in aid monies, unfortunately much of those monies are not used as they should be – never making it to the vulnerable populations.  Ensuring that transparency and accountability measures will be tied to any monies, the U.S. may help vulnerable people get the assistance they need.
  • “We, the AFJN, urge members of Congress to act quickly and pass the Counter-Kleptocracy Act. This legislation is the logical next step in the movement to fight corruption. We are thankful for the current legislation that has already been passed with bipartisan support in favor of transparency and accountability.  
  • “Once passed, corrupt leaders would no longer hope to go unchallenged when they enrich themselves from the public resources at the expense of their compatriots and hide behind immunity.
  • “This is a game changer in the fast-tracking efforts to bring down many tyrants and corrupt rulers on the African continent who currently are above the law in their respective countries- accountable to no one but themselves. When they step out of the boundaries of their national borders they can face justice if a corruption case was filed against them.”

Read the September 10, 2021 “Support for the Counter-Kleptocracy Act” letter to Congress.